


Watch the waves reach for the gray beach

by prinz_charlie



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, One Shot, slc backspace challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:42:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25091800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prinz_charlie/pseuds/prinz_charlie
Summary: Carmilla watched the blush on Elle’s cheeks grow more prominent and proudly smiled to herself. “So, Ms. Elle Sheridan… what do you say?”
Relationships: Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Watch the waves reach for the gray beach

**Author's Note:**

> slc backspace challenge, prompt: "Your landlord is a vampire, so he offers you a deal. You can pay your rent in money… or in blood."
> 
> title from the song "Those long eyes"

The girl’s eyes glittered in the rising morning sun. She wasn’t like the one’s Carmilla had used her little tricks on. The girls she had seduced up until now had never awakened anything in her, had never made her want to change things, and maybe overthink her actions. Had never made her want to stand up and do something. But this girl – something about her was different. She followed her trustingly and made light conversation with Carmilla and _smiled_ at her. Honest. Genuine.

It was strange, setting her up for her mother’s plan. Knowing exactly what she was doing and still doing it. She had seen the girl walk around town already. Stainz was big, big for then, at least. The perfect hunting district for people like her. Well, vampires like her. The whole town belonged to her mother – she used a different name than Karnstein here, no need to give too much about herself away. But Carmilla knew everything about her and her plans, knew her part like her favorite dress, knew what she was about to do by heart. And when she looked at the girl, she also knew that what she was doing was wrong. And that deep down she wanted to change it.

But she didn’t. Instead, she continued the conversation. “You’ll see that the situation of the house is ideal for your needs. My mother went to great pains to make sure that you’ll be the first customer of the day to visit the mansion.” She pointed down the stony road. “It’s right around the corner. The mansion has been family-owned for centuries but after concluding some clever deals it is now ours, and soon to be yours, I hope.” She winked at the girl. The detail that “family-owned” meant “owned by the Karnstein family”, she left out. “So, how did you come to know about this fine piece of land?”

“I didn’t, my mother did”, the girl shrugged easily. “I’m just here to visit it. She’s a very busy woman.”

A bitter smile played around Carmilla’s lips. “Oh, I can imagine.”

Carmilla didn’t ask for more information, that was all that she needed to know. She showed the girl the house, always keeping her eyes on that special glimmer in her face that the sun must’ve been causing. It wasn’t until the end of the tour that Carmilla tore her gaze loose from it. She didn’t have time to waste on places her mind went but she in person would never be able to go to. It was time for the fulfillment of her mother’s plan. So, Carmilla snowed the girl with false compliments, that weren't as false as she intended them to be until she finally asked for the price of the mansion and Carmilla dropped the bomb on her.

As expected, her eyes went big. “Excuse me? I- I will never be able to pay that much, my mother will be aghast when I tell her about this.”

“But don’t you wish this mansion was yours?”, Carmilla smirked, gesturing at the garden and entrance hall from her spot right in front of the house. “A graceful woman like you deserves a mansion like this one. Don’t you want it, Ms…”

“Sheridan”, the girl jumped in. “Elle Sheridan.”

Carmilla gladly took the hand Elle was offering her and blew an all too soft kiss to it – a forbidden gesture that suddenly felt like the most sensual thing in the world. “Ms. Sheridan”, she completed her sentence.

Carmilla didn’t fail to notice the faint blush on Elle’s cheeks and smiled to herself. “I mean… It truly is a wonderful house.”

“Just like you and your mother”, Carmilla added.

Elle seemed to think about it for a second but eventually shook her head. “No, I can’t. My mother and I can’t afford it. By all means…”

“What if I told you that there is another way for you to live here in only a few weeks?”, Carmilla smirked. Her mother’s plan was working out all too well. But this was the first time she executed it, that Carmilla felt an unsettling feeling in her stomach. Was it… guilt? Elle interestedly raised an eyebrow. “My mother is really fascinated by the arts but also by the newest scientific acquisitions. I’m sure she would love to deepen her… research regarding biological topics.”

Elle’s eyes widened. “Is that even allowed?”, she whispered as if suddenly someone would be able to hear them.

Carmilla simply shrugged. “The point is… I’m sure that for the donation of a little blood over the course of a few months we can arrange something for you and your mother.” She hesitated for a second before adding: “And might I add, a beautiful lady like you deserves to live in a house like this. Besides, I already know where it is, so I wouldn’t even have to ask for your address for when I take you out for the first time.” She watched the blush on Elle’s cheeks grow more prominent and proudly smiled to herself. “So, Ms. Elle Sheridan… what do you say?”

* * *

“So, what did she say?” Laura cocked an eyebrow, her eyes trailing over the main square that looked just like Carmilla had described it, trying to detect what Carmilla was looking at.

“What do you think she said?”, Carmilla said. “Of course, she agreed. It was either that or…”

“But this was only about a house”, Laura interrupted. “She could’ve just gone on with her life. I mean… no one in the society then had a lot of money, it would’ve been normal for her not to afford the mansion. Also, why did you try to sell it to her in the first place? I thought your only part was to seduce girls, so your mother could sacrifice them…”

Carmilla shook her head. “It was never just about the money, Laura. The surname my mother used for us was well known and feared. We had power no one else had, even though no one talked about it. If a Fischer offered you a deal, you couldn’t just reject it. As for the blood part… my mother was hungry and wanted to keep her hands clean. So, instead of brutally murdering people to feast on them, she used me to get them to donate blood. Only Elle was the first to make me question it. Something about her fascinated me.”

Carmilla’s gaze was drawn to an ice cream parlor that had been a cobbler then. Every time Elle had passed the cobbler, her skin had shimmered, no matter how dull or shiny the weather was.

“So, did you continue this whole spiel?”, Laura asked.

Carmilla nodded. “Yes”, she remembered. “Soon the whole town belonged to my mother. All for a little blood. It was only in the 20th century that her belongings went over to another family, who kept it until the end of the second world war.” Carmilla leaned back against the strong wall of the clothing store, her eyes scanning the town, the people, and the big main square. Laura took her hand, following her gaze. “It’s strange, being back here after such a long time”, Carmilla stated. She pointed at the ice cream parlor opposite from them. “That’s where she used to walk by every day.” Carmilla shook her head. “I don’t know why I even think about this.”

“Shouldn’t you know a philosopher with an answer to that?”, Laura asked grinning.

Carmilla let out a huff. “I wish, I did.” She wrapped an arm around Laura. “But it’s fine.” She took another second to reminisce before she turned towards Laura. “So, do you like it here?”

Laura shrugged. “It’s fine, I guess. I liked it better before you told me all this.” She dropped the subject and pulled Carmilla with her. “Now come on, I want to see more of the world than a little town in Southern Styria.”

With a sigh Carmilla let Laura drag her along, shaking off the memory of the first real interaction she had ever had with Elle. Nevertheless, this specific feeling of guilt settled in the pit of her stomach when they passed by the still-standing Jugendstil mansion. If Carmilla squinted she could still see Elle standing in front of it, agreeing to her offer.

And she felt the guilt starting to bubble again.

**Author's Note:**

> writing this was surprisingly much fun, so tysm for reading, i really appreciate it! read you next time!
> 
> tumblr: @ haveuseenmylife


End file.
